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The Sleep Strategy

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The Sleep Strategy

by InkyBinky » Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:11 pm
I track my OG 12 answers in a spreadsheet. Most nights I'll pop a sleeping pill a couple of hours before bedtime (since they take about that long to kick in) and I'll work OG questions, keeping a moving average of my percentage correct. I noticed that about an hour after I take a sleeping pill, my moving average declines significantly. On the whole, I have been getting about 80%-90% right(depending on the section), but when I become sleepy that figure drops down to the 60%-70% level. I don't think it's from progressively harder questions, because when I resume the next day, my performance pops back up.

So don't underestimate a good night's sleep before the test!
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by GMAT GIRL » Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:37 am
Good god! This may be the strangest posting I've ever read. Thanks for doing the self-experimentation to tell us what not to do. It reminds me of the story of Isaac Newton staring at the sun until he went temporarily blind. I will be sure and avoid sleeping pills on test day...and every other day for that matter.
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by Dan@VinciaPrep » Wed Sep 01, 2010 2:31 am
InkyBinky wrote:I track my OG 12 answers in a spreadsheet. Most nights I'll pop a sleeping pill a couple of hours before bedtime (since they take about that long to kick in) and I'll work OG questions, keeping a moving average of my percentage correct. I noticed that about an hour after I take a sleeping pill, my moving average declines significantly. On the whole, I have been getting about 80%-90% right(depending on the section), but when I become sleepy that figure drops down to the 60%-70% level. I don't think it's from progressively harder questions, because when I resume the next day, my performance pops back up.

So don't underestimate a good night's sleep before the test!
Sleep is indeed very important but this shows a couple other thins
1) Focus is crucial on the test because a lot of mistakes that people make are careless ones
2) Stamina is extremely important on the test because it affects your focus. The problem that you described might be a combination of stamina, and sleepiness since most people start having difficulty after an hour of studying even when they aren't tired.
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